Carton-blank-forming machine.



E. MFHAWKINS. CARIGN BLANK FORMING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILEDl APR. 3| |915. 1 ,1 89,945. Patented July 4, 1916.

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E. M. HAWKINS. cAnToN BLANK ronMmG MAcHmE.

1,189,945. APPLICATION FILED APR. 3 l9|5 I Patented 4 l0 SHEETS-SHEET 2.K

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mman: l 'I L\%ML E. M. HAWKINS. CARTON BLANK FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APH. 3. 19|5.

Patented July 4, 1916.

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- A CARTON BLANK FOHMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3. |95. 1 ,189,945. Patented July 4, 1916.

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E. M. HAWKINS. CARTON BLANK FORMING MACHINE.

1,189,945. APPLICATION min APR. a. Isls. Patentedlul'y 4,1916- 10SHEETS-SHEET 6.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 3 I`9I5.

Patented July 4, 1916.

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E. M. HAWKINS.

CARTON BLANK FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.3| |915.

Patented July 4, 1916.

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E. M. HAWKINS.

CARTON BLANK FORMING MACHINE. APPLICATION min APH. 3. i915.

E. M. HAWKINS.

CARTON BLANK FORMING MACHINE. APPLICATION man Ama. 1915.

1,189,945. Patented July 4,1916.

l0 SHEETS-SHEET I0.

UNITED STATES OFFICE.

EDGAR MARION HAWKINS, 0F ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO M. D. KNOWLTONCOMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CARTON-BLANK-FORMING' MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented July 4, 1916.

Application filed Apr13, 1915. Serial No. 18,940.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDGAR M. IIAwKrNs, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the countyof Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Carton- Blank-Forming Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to machines for making box blanks, and has forits object to provide a machine having means for-providing a box blankwith creases disposed at an angle to other creases previously formed byother means, and also having means associated in a novel manner withsaid crease forming means for trimming and tapering the flaps of theblank, in the manner to be hereinafter described.

So far as the operation of the crease forming and trimming means isconcerned, it is immaterial whether the creases already in the blank atthe time ofthe operation of said crease forming means are formed in thesame machine as that constituting the sub'- ject matter of the presentapplication, or in a separate machine. In the present instance, theabove-named means for forming a second set of creases at an angle to afirst set previously formed in the blank, and the trimming means areassociated with a separate-machine, and the first set of creases isformed in a machine which acts upon the blank prior to its delivery tothe machine of the present application. p

The present application is especially designed to receive blanks from amachine such as that disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No.671,176, filed January 15, 1912, and entitled Carton blank formingmachine. In this machine, the iirst set of creases is provided and theblank is then delivered to the present machine to provide the blank withthe second set of creases disposed at an angle to the first set. Themachine disclosed in said co-pending applicationwas designed to providea box blank with flap creases and simultaneously form panel creases andslots in the blank. It has been found in practice, however, that whenthe panel creases and slots are made simultaneously with the flapcreases, the blank is subjected to stresses which tend to stretch thematerial at the junction of the slots and creases, and when the blank isfolded along the creases, cracks sometimes develop where the materialhas been overstrained. In order to avoid this, the operation ofvformingthe panel creases in the. machine. disclosed in said co-pendingapplication may Vbe omitted, and such panel creases provided in theblank in a separate machine, such as that disclosed herein. The presentmachine, which I preferably term an auxiliary machine, is placed at therear of the machine disclosed in the above-named co-pending application,or the creasing and slotting machine, as it is designated in practice,to receive the blanks as they are discharged from the creasing andslotting machine. rlhe blank is then provided in the auxiliary machinewith the panel creases, and theslots previously formed in the creasingand vslotting machine are trimmed to produce a taper on the flaps, aswill hereinafter appear. In its preferred form, this auxiliary machine.comprises means for feeding a blank through the machine andintermittently ar-A resting its motion, so as to allow it toV be actedupon bythe creasing'and trimming means. The machine is designed to makea predetermined number of strokes, and at each stroke, to operate uponthe blank to form a crease therein and to trim a certain portionthereof, as will later appear.

The invention further consists in providing certain other novelfeatures,which will be hereinafter described in detail, and whichcooperate with the above-named creasing and trimming means to produce acompact and efiicient machine, all of whose parts are automaticallyactuated in timed relation to perform the desired operations 'upon theblank. Y

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure'l isa side elevation, showing more or less diagrammatically themain creasing and slotting machine and the auxiliary machine withintermediate feeding means for feeding the. blanks from the maincreasing and slotting machine to the auxiliary ma-V chine; Figs. 2 and 3illustrate the types of blank formed in the main creasing and slottingmachine when the operation of forming the panel creases'is omitted inthis machine; Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate blanks correspond-V ing to theblanks shown in Figs. 2 an'd'B,` respectively, after treatment in theauxiliary machine; Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the auxiliary machine;Fig. 7 is a horizontal rie pea

section taken on the line afi-a" of Fig. 6, certain parts being omittedfor the sake of clearness; Fig. 8 is an end elevation of the machinelooking in the direction of the feed from the feed end thereof; Figs. 9and 10, in combination, represent a broken vertical section taken on theline 2 2 of Fig. 6; Fig. 11 is a vertical section taken on the linetlf-fw of Fig. 8; Fig. 12 is a vertical section taken on the line e-e ofFig. 8; Fig. 13 is a vertical section taken on the line y-y of Fig. 8,and illustrating the trip mechanism for setting the machine in operationautomatically by the introduction of a blank; Fig. 14 is a detail view,partly in section, of a portion of the trip mechanism illustrated inFig. 13; Figs. 15 and 16 illustrate the type of creasing dies which maybe employed to form the panel crease; Fig. 17 is a broken side elevationof the intermediate conveying means employed to feed the blank to theauxiliary machine; and Fig. 18 is a plan view of the construction shownin Fig. 17.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, theauxiliary machine, constituting the subject matter of the presentapplication is shown at A, to which the blanks are fed from the mainmachine by means of any appropriate feeding means, Vsuch as shown at B.The main machine, constituting the subject matter of the copendingapplication referred to above, is shown at C, and when used incombination with the auxiliary machine, A, is constructed to produce ablank such as that shown in either Fig. 2 or Fig. 3. The blankdischarged from the main machine C is conducted by the feeding means Band introduced to the auxiliary machine A.

The specific construction of the feeding means B is immaterial, so faras the present invention is concerned, but it will be desirable to notethe feed rolls a, (Figs. 1, 17 and 18), under which the blanks passbefore being introduced to the auxiliary machine. The blanks are fedunder the rolls c by means of the feed belts e passing over suitablymounted pulleys e. The rolls a are mounted on a shaft el, which, inturn, is mounted in the bracket arms e adapted to swing about the axisof the shaft f. rl`he shaft f is mounted at eitherl end in a suitablebracket g having a set screw L, by means of which, the position of thebracket arm e may be adjusted to thereby vary the distance between therolls a and the feed belts b. The bracket arms e are preferably soadjusted that the blanks may pass under the rolls u without the latterhaving to climb over the blanks, but so that the blanks will receive theweight of the rolls when the blanks are passing thereunder. Each of thebrackets g has a second set screw z' associated therewith, and sopositioned that the bracket arms e may be swung backwardly around theaxis of the shaft j, so as to reverse the position of the bracket armsc. In this reverse position thereof, they will rest upon the set screwse'. The rolls a are preferably power-driven, and for this purpose, asprocket chain y' passes over sprockets 7c and Z provided on the shaftsand (Z, respectively. The sprocket 7; is driven by means of a sprocketchain m from one of the shafts n of the feeding means, the sprocketchain m passing over sprocket wheels o and 7J on the shafts n andrespectively. The shaft n may be power-driven in any suitable manner.

rfhe blanks introduced to the auxiliary machine by the feeding means lfirst strike a trip plate 1, (Figs. G, 13 and 14e), which is mounted tooscillate about a shaft 2, which is carried by the trip lever 3. Theshaft 2 is so mounted that it is capable of vertical movements withrespect to the trip lever 3, and is moved vertically when the trip plate1 is actuated by the blank, due to the rollers -i carried by the shaft2, which ride up inclines 5 provided on the bracket G. The stop plate 1is normally prevented from oscillating about the shaft 2 by means of ashoulder 7 associated with the stop plate and which normally engages acorresponding shoulder 8 on the trip lever 3. These two shouldersconstitute a latch device, so that as the trip plate 1 is being movedforwardly by the blank, it will be held against oscillation about theshaft 2 and will cause the trip lever 3 to partake of its movement withthe blank. The rollers 4, in riding up the incline 5, will, however,shift the shaft 2 vertically and, therefore, raise the trip plate 1, sothat at a predetermined point during the movement of the trip plate bythe incline 5, the shoulders 7 and 8 will become disengaged'and theblank will then be permitted to move the trip plate 1 about the shaft 2until the trip plate assumes substantially a horizontal position beneaththe blank. The blank is then free to pass over the trip plate and oninto the machine. A spring 9, interconnecting the trip plate 1 and thelever 3, serves to return the trip plate to its normal position.

The movement of the trip lever 3 sets the machine in operation, as itsmovement about the axis of the shaft 10 serves to actuate a link 11,which, in turn, moves the arm 12, to which it is connected, about theaxis of the shaft 13, and this movement of the arm 1Q causes a dependingmember 1-1 to swing to the left in Fig. 13 about the axis of the shaft13. The depending member 111, when so actuated, engages a portion 15 ofa pawl 1G and swings the same about the axis 17. ln the normal positionof the pawl 16, it lies in the path of movement of a plurality of blocks18, (Fig. 12), carried by a rotating disk 19. In the normal position ofthe pawl, one of the blocks 1S will, therefore, contact therewith andmove the Isame upwardly, thereby throwing out the. main clutch of themachine through the intermediary of the link 20, (Fig. 8), servingthrough the arms 21 and 22 to shift the link 23 longitudinally to theright in the drawing, thereby oscillating the arm 24 about its pivotalconnection with the bracket 25, and throwing out the clutch 26, which isoperatively connected with the arm 24. A springl acting upon the clutch2G tends to retain the same to its engaged position, and yieldinglyresists the movement of the parts as just described. Therefore, when thepawl 1G is shifted by the depending' member 14, (Fig. 13), the operationof the trip mechanism as above described is reversed, as the spring ispermitted to act on the arm 24, (Fig. 8), and throw in the clutch, sincethis action is not resisted by the pawl 16 being held in its raisedposition. The construction of the trip mechanism, as above described, issubstantially the same as that disclosed in the application covering themain machine C, except that in the main machine, only one block 18 isprovided on the disk 19, (Fig. 12), whereas in the present construction,a number of such blocks are employed. After the machine has been thusset in operation, the blank continues its travel until the front edgethereof contacts with a stop plate 27, one of which is disposed ateither side of the machine, (Figs. 6, 11 and 12). The blank is held insuch position until the reciproeating head, described below, descends tooperate upon the blank. The stop platevis then lowered and subsequentlyraised to stop the blank in its second position, as will be `hereinafterdescribed.

The reciprocating head referred to, is provided with one member of thecoperating dies which produce the panel creases in the blank, and alsowith trimming knives for trimming' the slots of the blank produced inthe main machine. The creasing,

and trimming mechanism involving the usev of the reciprocating head ispreferably constructed as follows: Upstanding side portions 28 of themain frame of the machine have formed therein, suitable guideways 29, inwhich is mounted the reciprocating head, see particularly Figs. 6, S, 9,10 and 11. The reciprocating head comprises a main casting'30, whichextends transversely of the machine, and is provided at either end withan upstanding portion 31, which engages in the guideways 29.l Thecasting so guided is reciprocated by means of two connecting rods 32,one of which is located at each side of the machine, and each engagingat its upper extremity aV shaft 33 passing through the upper part of theupstanding portion 31 of the casting 30, and engaging at its lower endan eccentric 34 mounted upon an eccentric shaft 35, which will behereinafter referred to more in detail. As a result of thisconstruction, it is obvious that the rotation of the eccentric shaft 35will cause a reciprocation of the transverse casting 30 in the verticalguideways 29. Means is preferably provided for vertically adjusting thecasting 30 to obtain the proper amount of pressure in creasing differentthicknesses of the stock. rThis means preferably takes the form of aworm-wheel 36 keyed to the shaft 33 and meshing with a worm 37 adaptedto be actuated by means `of a crank which may be applied to' the shaft38 of the worm (see Fig. 8). The rotation of the worm 37 and the1worm-wheel 3G causes the shaft 33 to rotate, thereby shifting theposition of the eccentric 39, which the upper end of the connecting rod32 enf circles, thus changing the position of the transverse casting 30.The parts may be locked in their adjusted position by any suitablemeans, such as a hand-wheel 40 (Fig. 8), which, when turned, serves tolock the shaft 38 against rotation.

The' transverse casting 30 is provided at several points with upwardlyprojecting bearing portions 4l, through which an eccentric shaft 42passes, said Shaft being provided with a plurality of eccentrics 43encircled by eccentric straps 44, which have connected thereto,depending pitmen 45. The transverse casting 30 is provided at its lowerportion with vertical guideways 46, as best shown in F ig. -11. Twotransverse bars 47 and 4S are mounted in these guideways 46 and areadapted to move vertically therein. Each of said transverse bars isprovided in its lower' face with a T-shaped slot adapted to engage acorresponding T- shaped projection provided on the upper edge of atrimming knife. The`transverse bars 47 and 48, carry two trimming knivesat each side of the machine, the knife carried by the bar 47 at the leftside of the machine being' indicated at '49, and the knife carried bythe bar 48 at the same side of the machine being indicated at 50. Knives51 and 52 (Fig. G) are mounted in a similar manner at the opposite sideof the machine. The outer' faces of the knives 49, and 51, 52 Contactdirectly with the vertical faces of the guideways 46 and the inner facesof the knives contact and slide directly upon each other. One series ofthe pitmen 45 are all connected with the transverse bar 47 and anotherseries of pitmen 45 are all connected with the transverse bar 4S. Theeccentrics 43 on the eccentric shaft 42 are so set that in the lowermostposition of the head, either the bar 47 or 4S, and consequently theknives which it carries, are in their lowermost position, while theother transverse bar with its associated knivesris in its raised orinoperative position. As the head descends, the knives which are in thelowermost position, will, therefore, be the operative knives and willserve to trim the slots in the blank, whereas the other knives will haveno effect in acting upon the blank. rfhe eccentric shaft d'2 isautomatically actuated during reciprocation of the head, and for thispurpose, said shaft is provided with a pinion at one end thereof, (Figs.8 and il), which meshes with a gear 54e mounted upon a rock shaft 55.The gear 5st is actuat ed by means of a ratchet 5G with which the ar ismounted to turn. During descent f the reciprocatingr head, an arm 57 isaused to oscillate about the rock shaft 55 by means of a link 5Spivotally connected to the arm 57 and connecting at its lower end withan eccentric strap 59 encircling, an eecentric bushing GO mounted uponthe intermediate shaft Gl, to be hereinafter referred to; particularlyFig. 6. A pawl G2 swings with the oscillating,` arm 57 and serves toengage in one of the notches of the ratchet 5G to actuate the gear Bythis construction, it is obvious that as the head reciprocates, the arm57 will be oscillated about the shaft and the pawl 62 will engage in anew notch of the ratchet 56 each time the reciprocating head is in itslowermos; position. As the reciprocating head rises, the ratchet 5Gwill, therefore, be actuated through 900, the construction being suchthat each upstroke of the reciprocating head will rotate the ratchetthrough 900. The ratio of the gea-rs 5% and 53 is 2 to l, so that 900rotation of the `gear 54, or a quarter revolution thereof, will causegear to rotate through 180. Such rotation of see the gear 53, and hencethe eccentric shaft,

will cause all those eecentrics connected with one pair of knives toraise or lower such knives as the case may be. and all the eecentricsconnected with the other set of knives to move the same in the oppositedirection to the movement of the first set of knives. rfhisl shiftingmovement of the knives is accentuated by the eccentric 60, which thestrap at the lower end of the link 5S encircles.

rEhe cutting edges of the knives at each side of the machine form anangle with each other, or in other words, the cutting` edge of eachknife is adapted to eut the blank at an angle to the longitudinal axisof the blank. This is for the purpose of trimming the slots andtapering` the flaps of the blanks shown in Figs. 2 and 3, to produce theblanks shown in Figs. 1i and 5. ln case a blank, such as hat shown inFigs. 2 and el, is to be produced, the eccentrics on the shaft Ll2 areso set that the knife, at each side of the machine adjacent the feed endthereof, will be in its lowermost position when the reciproeating, headdescends. rhese knives with the aid of the coperating stationary knives,to be hereinafter described, will, therefore, trim the front edges ofthe first flaps of the blank shown in Fig. 2, as shown at e in Fior lfthe other pair of knives is in the lowermost position, they will have noeffect upon the front end of the blank, as the knives will diverge awayfrom the blank.

The transverse casting` 30, in which the pair of knives is mounted ateither end, also serves as a holder for one of the die meinbers whichextends transversely of the machine, and at either end of which., thetrimming knives above described, are located. The lower end of thecasting 30 is represented at 30', in Figs. l5 and 1G, and from theseviews, it will be noted that either member of the coperating dies may besupported in said lower portion 80 of the casting, while the othercoperating member of the dies is carried by the stationary bed of themachine. rlhe stationary die members may be mounted in the holders 63disposed transversely of the bed of the machine. It is imn materialwhich member of the coperating dies is carried by the movable head, andwhich is carried by the stationary holder G3. However, Figs. 15 and 16illustrate the mounting of the die members in either case. Thetransverse die holders 63 also have associated therewith, the stationaryknives 64: intended to cooperate with the movable knives abovedescribed. The cutting' edges of the stationary knives are, of course,obliquely disposed to properly cooperate with the oblique cutting edgesof the movable knives. Due to this disposition of the transversecreasing dies with a pair of trimming knives disposed at either end ofthe creasingr dies, it is obvious that the reciprocation of the headwhich carries the movable dies and the movable knives, will operate uponthe blank to produce a transverse crease and to trim the slots of theblank shown in either Figs. 9. and 3 to produce the blank shown in Figs.4 and 5.

The double set of knives may be used to produce different kinds ofblanks. For instance, if a blank, such as that shown in Figs. 2 and 4f,is to be produced, the pair of knives adjacent the feed end of themachine must be in their operative position on the first down stroke ofthe reciprocatinghead. On the next stroke, the positions of the kniveswill be changed by the eccentric shaft above described, and the pair ofknives adjacent the discharge end of the machine will be in operativeposition. Therefore, on the second stroke of the machine, at which timethe slots y (Fig. 2) lie under the knives, the slots ,1/ will be trimmedby the knives adjacent the discharge end of the machine, as shown atFig. 4, to taper the first pair of flaps. When the reciprocating headdescends for the third time, the knives will be in theirioriginalposition and will, therefore, act upon the slots fw, (Fig. 2), to trimthe same, as shown at 'u in F ig. 4. This reversing action of the kniveswill be repeated on the fourth st-roke of the machine, thereby trimmingslots u, (Fig. 2), as shown at 25 (Fig. 4). During this time, the blankis fed through the machine and held stationary in its proper position tobe acted upon by the creasing dies and trimming` knives, by the means tobe hereinafter described.

1f a blank, such as that shown in Figs. 3 and 5, is to be produced, theeccentrics on the shaft 42 are so set that the pair of knives adjacentthe discharge end of the machine will be in operative position on thefirst down stroke of the reciprocating head, and the pair of knivesadjacent the feed end will, therefore, be in operative position on thesecond down stroke of the reciprocating head. The result is that theflaps are tapered in the manner shown in Fig. 5, the second and fourthpair of fiaps being the ones tapered instead of the first and thirdpair, as in Fig. 4.

As above stated, when the blank is fed to theV machine, the panelcreases are lacking, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the blank being completein all other respects, except for the tapering of the flaps, thelongitudinal or flap creases s and the slots u, w and j having beenformed in the main machine. At each down stroke of the reciprocatinghead, the coperating dies, therefore, act to produce one of the panelcreases 7', as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. v

The blank is fed through the machine and intermittently arrested in itsfeeding movement to permit the reciprocating head to act thereon by thefollowing mechanism: As stated above, when the blank is first introducedto the machine, its front edge contacts with the stop plate 27, which,at `that time, is in its raised position shown in the drawings. One ofthese stop plates is mounted at each side of the machine to reciprocatein a vertical direction in the space between the stationary knives, asbest shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 1l. The stop plates 27. may be mounted inany suitable manner, but preferably, they slide between adjacent facesof two transversely extending guide plates G5, which may be mounted inthe lower die holders G3. The lower end of each stop plate 27 isconnected to and supported by a transverse shaft G6 by means of suitablyformed clips 67 secured to the stop plate Yand engaging with said shaft66. The shaft- (36 has imparted thereto, a bodily up and down movementby means of the depending cam arm GS connected with the shaft 66 andactuated by means of a cam 69 on the eccenwhich serves to space theshaft 66 from a fixed rock shaft 7l. The Vstop plate 27 is held inits-raised position by the cam 69 until the creasing dies have takenhold of the blank, and then they are lowered by means of the cam 69 andremain down until the trimming knives have withdrawn. As soon as thestop plate is lowered, the blank is carried forward by means of the feedbelts 72. Soon after the blank starts its forward movement, the stopplates 27 begin to rise and engage the under side of the first pair offlaps of the blank attached to the first panel. Therefore, when thefirst pair of slots y in the blank come in alinement with the creasingdies, the stop plates will engage in said slots and arrest the motion ofthe blank as a result of the engagement between the stop plates and theforward edge of the second pair of flaps. The first pair of fiaps beinghingedly associated with t-he blank by means of the flap creases, offerno resistance to the rising movement of the plates 27, and merely rideover the stop plate. The succeeding pair of flaps, however, are helddown by means of presser rollers 73, one of which is mounted at eachside of the machine and is yieldingly held in engagement with the blankby means of a spring 74, (Fig. l1). The blank thus arrested in itsmotion is again subjected to the action of the trimming knives, and thecreasing dies, and when the dies take hold' of the sheet, the stopplates 27 are lowered, and subsequently raised to engage the forwardedges of the third pair of flaps to arrest the motion of the blank forthe third operation of the reciprocating head thereon. This operation isrepeated until the reciprocating head makes four complete stro-kes. Itwill be noted, however, that the fourth stroke of the reciprocating headproduces the third panel crease, as the front edge of the blankregistered with the creasing dies on the first stroke of thereciprocating head. There is, therefore, one more crease to be made inthe blank, to wit, that shown at r between the stitching fiap g and thefourth panel. This crease, however, is made on the first stroke of thereciprocating head during the cycle of operations upon a succeedingblank. It is, therefore, obvious, that the adjacent end portions of thesuccessive blanks must be made to overlap, so that the line where thecrease r is to be formed will register with the front edge of thesucceeding blank.' As it is desirable to have the rear end of the firstblank overlie the front end of the succeeding blank, means is providedfor lifting the rear end of the first blank to permit the front portionof the succeeding blank to be fed thereunder, and such means preferablytakes the form of a lifting bar 75, which is actuated by means of thearms 76 and 77 and a cam 78 mounted 130 upon the intermediate shaft 61.The lifting bar 75 is actuated just before the machine comes to a stopafter the fourth stroke of the reciprocating head. It will be noted,however, that after the motion of the blank has been arrested four timesby the engagement of the stop plates 27 with the forward edges of thefour pairs of flaps, the stop plates will be ineffective for arrestingthe motion of the blank to enable the creasing dies to form the crease rof the stitching flap, as when the line on which the crease r is to beformed registers with the creasing dies, there is no flap with which thestop plates 27 can engage. Additional means is, therefore, provided forstopping the blank when the rear end thereof reaches the creasing dies,and such means preferably take the form of a rear stop gage 79yieldingly held by means of the spring 80, so as not to offer too muchresistance to the passage of the blank (Fig. 11) and lowered at theproper time to arrest the motion of the blank thereunder. The actuationof the gage may be effected through arms S1, a rock shaft 82, which, inturn, is actuated from a rock shaft S3, (Fig. 7) running longitudinallyof the machine at one side thereof. The connection between the shafts S2and S3 may comprise the arms S and 85 connected to the shafts 82 and 83,respectively, which arms may be interconnected by means of a suitablelink 86. The rock shaft 83 may be actuated through a second arm. S7connected thereto, a bell-crank lever 88, and a link S9 connecting saidarm 87 and one arm of the bell-crank lever S8. The other arm of saidbell-crank lever is connected by means of a link 90 with an arm 91mounted to swing about the axis of a shaft 92 (see particularly Figs. 6and 7). The arm 91 is in turn actuated by means of the cam arm 93carrying a roller which engages a cam 91 mounted on the intermediateshaft 61.

The cam 94C is not secured to the shaft 61, but is mounted upon a sleevewhich is free to rotate on said shaft G1. The sleeve is driven by meansof a gear 94 secured to said sleeve, and a pinion 943 mounted upon theeccentric shaft The ratio of the gears 94h and 91@ is 1 to Ll, wherebythe cam 94 makes one revolution for four recipro` cations of the head.By this mechanism, the rear stop gage is lowered at the proper time toarrest the motion of the blank. The position of this gage may beadjusted by means of the worm shafts 95, one of which is located at eachside of the machine and runs longitudinally thereof. These worm shaftspass through the base of the stop gage and are simultaneously actuatedfrom a transverse shaft 95 geared to the worin shafts 95 by means of thegears 96 and actuated by a suitable hand wheel 97 located at one side ofthe machine. The flaps are successively raised from the bed of themachine, so that they may engage with the stop gage 79 by means of thespring fingers 9S, one of which is located at each side of the machine,and each of which has an upwardly inclined portion, as shown, so as tolift the flaps of the blank in an obvious manner. These spring fingersare preferably carried by the side gages 99, to be hereinafter referredto.

The feeding belts 7 2, mentioned above for feeding the blanks, arepreferably mounted upon the pulleys 100. The blanks upon beingintroduced to the feed belts 7 2 are caused to pass beneath rollers 101mounted upon a. transverse shaft 10:2, which may be adjusted in avertical direction to vary the space between the rollers 101 and thefeed belts 7 2. This may be accomplished by means of the links 103,which connect the shaft 102 with a superposed shaft 104. An eccentric105 associated with the shaft 104: serves to raise or lower the links103 when a handle 106 is actuated, all as best shown in Fig. 11. Theshaft 104 may be locked in its adjusted position by means of a clampwheel 107, the actuation of which forces a wedge sleeve 10S (Fig. G)into engagement with the shaft 104, thereby locking the same againstrotation. The blanks are also caused to pass under rollers 109positioned over the belts near the rear end thereof, which rollers aremounted upon swinging bracket arms 110 carried by a transverselyextending shaft 111. These bracket arms 110 may be swung around theshaft 111 to reverse their positions and cause the rollers 109 to lieVover the rear pulleys 100, if the position of the rear stop gage 79interferes with the position of' the rollers 109, shown in the drawings.The feed belts may be actuated in any suitable manner, such as by meansof a pulley 112l secured to the shaft on which the rear belt pulleys 100are mounted.

In addition to the trip plate 1, with which the blank engages when firstintroduced to the machine, means is provided for 1nain taining themachine in operation after the trip plate 1 trips the machine and setsthe parts in motion. This means is so conn structed that if the blanksare not in proper position to be acted upon, the trip lever 3, havingreturned to its normal position, will be permitted to remain there,allowing the machine to stop. rlhe means referred to comprises a tripplate 113, (Figs. 6 and 13), which is located to the rear of the tripplate 1, and is pivotally mounted at 114, so that it may be depressed bya blank passing thereover. When the plate 113 is depressed, it raises alink 115, which, in turn, lifts a latch device 11G having a shoulder 117engaging a corresponding shoulder 118, carried by the main trip lever 3.The latch device 116 is moved back and forth by means of a cam arm 119,actuated by a cam 120, mounted upon the eccentric shaft 35. It isobvious that when the latch device 116 is held in its raised position bythe plate 113,the came 120 w ill shift the trip lever 3, and hence thelink 11, arm 12, depending member 14, and thus throw the pawl 16 out ofthe path of movement of the oncoming block 18. As long as the plate 113is depressed, the machine will, therefore, continue in operation, but ifsaid plate is permitted to rise to its normal position, the main triplever 3 is pulled back by the spring 121, and the oncoming block 18therefore, engages with the pawl 16 to lift the same and throw themachine out of operation. Before the blank comes to a stop, and whileone pair of flaps is riding over the main stop plates 27, the trip plate113 is free to remain in its raised position, but when the succeedingpairs of iiaps approach the stop plate, they will be held down by therollers 73, thereby causing the trip plate 113 to be depressed.Therefore, if the blank, for some reason, should not move to its properposition, the trip plate 113 would remain in its raised position and themachine would stop.

The controlling means for the machine are similar to that used in themain machine C, and consists of a hand lever 122, coperating with aquadrant bracket 123, (Fig. 6). The quadrant 123 is provided with threenotches, the rst of which represents the starting or continuousposition, the second, the sheet trip position, and the third, the lockedor safety position. In the starting or continuous position, an arm 124engages a projection 125 on the main trip lever 3, and, therefore, holdsthe pawl 16 out of the path of movement 'of the blocks 18. In thisposition of the hand-lever 122,

the machine will, therefore, operate continuously. In the second orsheet trip position of the lever 122, the trip mechanism is free to betripped by the successive blanks, and the machine will, therefore,operate until four strokes of the reciprocating head are effected, andthen the machine will stop until again tripped by a succeeding blank. Inthe third or locked position of the lever 122, a link 126 actuated bymeans of an arm 127, serves to swing arms 128 and 129 about the axis ofthe shaft 61, and this movement of the arm 129, which is connected tothe pawl 16, serves to raise said pawl and hold it in its raisedposition. It is, therefore, safe in this position of the hand lever, forthe operator to work around the machine to make repairs, etc., withoutdanger of accidentally setting the machine in operation by tripping thetrip mechanism.

The machine is driven from a pulley 130 (Fig. 8), and when the clutch 26 is thrown in, the pulley 130 rotates the main actuating ferred to.

shaft 131. This shaft carries a pinion 132, which meshes with a gear133, carried by the intermediate shaft 61, hereinbefore re- Theeccentric shaft which carries the eccentrics for actuating thereciprocating head is driven from said intermediate shaft by means ofintcrmeshing gears 134.

It may sometimes be desirable to produce a blank having only two panelsand a stitching flap instead of four panels and a stitching flap. Two ofsaid blanks would then be required to make up a container. To producesuch a blank, the parts must, therefore, be set to do two-stroke work.The following changes are then made in the position of certain of theparts. The cam lever 77 for actuating the lift bar 75 is moved along itssupporting shaft until it is in position to be actuated by a second cam78 located vadjacent the cam 78, which is employed for actuating the arm7 7 during four-stroke. work. Likewise, cam lever 93, for actuating therear stop gages, is moved along shaft 92` until it engages a cam 94(Fig. 8) adjacent the cam 94, which is normally employed for actuatingthe arm 93 during four-stroke work. Under these conditions, the lift barwould rise on alternate strokes of the machine instead of once for everyfour strokes of the machine. The rear stop gages would also act onalternate strokes instead of once for every four strokes.

The bed or supporting table of the machine shown in Fig. 7 may havemounted thereon, suitable side gages 99, one of which, preferably thaton the right-hand side of the machine, being adjustable toward and awayfrom the other in the usual manner. The opposite or left-hand side gagealso has a limited movement to care for the varying widths of iaps. j

In order that blanks of different widths may be properly acted upon, allthe operating devices on one side of the machine, prefably theright-hand side, are adjustably mounted, and may be moved toward andfrom the corresponding operating devices on the opposite side. For thispurpose, a hand-wheel 135 is provided, the rotation of which causes themovable knives, the stationary knives, and the stop plate 27, at oneside of the machine, to be simultaneously moved toward or away from thecorresponding devices on the other side of the machine. This is effectedby means of a worm shaft 136 connected to the hand-wheel 135, therotation of which causes a bracket 137 to move transversely of themachine (Fig. 10), which bracket carries a linger 138 engaging theplates 65, in which the stop plate is mounted. The holder for thestationary knives, the stop plate 27, and the stationary knives are,therefore, shifted simultaneously by movement of the bracket 137. Themov- CJD CIJ

able knives are provided with depending fingers 139 (F ig. l0), whichengage a cross piece 11i() associated With the stationary knife holderand, therefore, the movement of the parts just described also causes acorresponding movement of the movable knives. lThis movement ot themovable knives is permitted by the T-slot connection between thetransverse knife holding bars and the knives themselves. A similar andsimultaneous adjustment of the corresponding parts at the opposite sideof the machine may also be provided for to properly center the two setsot devices with respect to an oncoming blank, but this adjustment needbe only very slight, and may be effected by means of a second hand-Wheel141, actuating a sleeve 142, which, in turn, actuates a bracket 137r atthe opposite side of the machine similar to 137, and having a linger13S, 9), similar to that shown at 138. As the connection betvvee'n theparts at this side of the machine is similar to that of the parts at theso--called adjustable side, the movement of the linger 13S effects anadjustment of the stationary knives, movable knives and stop plate, inthe same manner as above described with respect to the correspondingparts at the right-hand side of the machine.

Reviewing brieliy the operation of the machine, it will be noted thatthe front edge of the blank sets the machine in operation by contactingwith the trip mechanism. The reciprocating head then descends to operateupon the front edge of the blank and uplon the rear end of the precedingblank, Which is not yet completed and which overlaps the :front end otthe blank which has just tripped the machine. On the lirst stroke ornthe reciprocating head, the crease 71' between the stitching tlap g andthe last )anel ot the preceding blank, (Figs. d and 5) Will be formed,and either the front edges ot the flaps et' the succeeding blank Will betrimmed, as shown at e in Fig. el, or else the rear edges of the lastpair ot flaps on the preceding blank will be trimmed, as shown in Fig.5, this depending upon which pair ot knives is in its loiverinost oroperative position on the first stroke ot the ma chine, and dependingupon Whether it is desired to produce a blank like that shown in Fig.si., or that shown in Fig. 5. By the combined action of the feedingbelts, the trip plate 113, which maintains the machine in operation, andthe vertical reciprocating stop plate, the blank is ted through themachine and intermittently arrested in its motion, in order that thepanel creases may be successively formed in the blank and the slotstrimmed., as shoivn in Fi el, or in Fig. The lifting device ivill thenact to raise the rear end of the first blank before the machine comes toa stop, and the rear stop gage will stop the blank in proper position tohave the last crease r formed on the first stroke of the machine duringthe next cycle ot' operations. rlllhe irst blank is,

,therefor-e, not discharged from the machine until a succeeding blanktrips the machine and causes the irst stroke of the reciprocating head,during the cycle ot operations upon the succeeding blank, to produce thecrease 7" upon the first blank, and properly trim the rear edges of thelast pair of flaps, it a blank like that shown in Fig. is to beproduced. lf such is the case, it is obvious that the .iirst stroke ofthe reciproeating head will have no eltect on the front end of thesucceeding blank, as a blank, such as that shoivn in Fig. 5, has itsfront edge perfectly straight. It a blank, like that shown in Fig. 4:,is to be produced, the first stroke of the reciprocating head, duringeach cycle oit operations produces the crease r on the preceding sheet,and trims the liront edges ot' the first pair Ot flaps on the succeedingblank, as Will be readily understood from Figs. 2 and l. lt is obviousthat if desired, the trimming knives for trimming the front and rearedges of the flaps may he thrown out of operation and the machine usedfor providing the blank with the panel creases Without trimming theflaps. A blank like that shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 3 would then beproduced, except that it would be provided with the transverse panelcreases.

Obviously, numerous changes may be made in the details et theconstruction,

Without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as definedin the accompanying claims.

lVhat I claim is 1. The combination with means for providing a box blankWith slots and creases disposed in one direction, of means operativeJ onthe blank subsequent to the operation ot said first-named means to trimthe slots and provide th-e blank with creases disposed at an angle tosaid first-named creases.

2. The combination with means for providing a box blank with flapcreases and slots, of means operative 0n 'the blank subsequent to theoperation of said first-named means for tapering the tlaps and providingthe blank with panel creases.

3. The combination with a machine for providing a box blank With slots,and creases disposed in one direction, of an auxiliary machine havingmeans for trimming said slots, and means for providing the blank withcreases disposed at an angle to said first-named creases.

il. The combination With a machine for 5. ln a machine for Operating onbox blanks upon which the flaps have been provided, the combination ofmeans for feeding the blank through the machine, and means forinterrupting therfeeding movev ment of the blank comprising means forengaging the successive flaps of the blank during its movement throughthe machine.

6. In a machine for operating on box blanks which have been previouslyprovided with slots, means for feeding the blank to the machine, andVvertically reciprocating means adapted to engage in said slots forinterrupting the movement of the blank through the machine. f

7. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination with meanstending to move the blank continuously through the machine, of asinglestop member adapted to engage successive parts of the blank during itsmovement through the machine to intermittently arrest the feed movementthereof, and means to actuate said member.

8. 1n a machine for making box blanks, the combination with meanstending to continuously move the blank through the machine, of avertically reciprocating stop member adapted to engage successive partsof the blank during its movement through the machine to intermittentlyarrestV the feeding movement of the blank.

9. In a machine for finishing previously slotted box blanks, thecombination with means tending to continuously move the blank throughthe machine, of means adapted to successively engage the slots of theblank to intermittently interrupt the feeding movement thereof, andmeans operated in timed relation with said slot engaging means toprovide the blank with a crease each time the blank is arrested in itsmotion.

10. The combination with means for providing a box blank with slots, ofmeans for providing the slotted blank with creases, means for feedingthe blank in operative relation with said creasing means, and means toengage in the successive slots of the blank to arrest the feedingmovement of the blank prior to each operation of said creasing means.

11. Ina machine for making box blanks, the combination with means foroperating upon a slotted blank, of means tending to continuously feedthe blank through the machine, means adapted to engage the successiveslots in the blank to arrest the feed movement thereof, and means forstopping the feed movement of the blank when the end of the blank hasreached the means for engaging the successive slots.v

12. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination with means foroperating upon a slotted blank, of means tending to continuously feedthe blank through the machine, means adapted to engage the successiveslots in the blank to arrest the feed movement thereof, means forstopping the feed movement of the blank when the end of the blank hasreached the means for engag-A ing the successive slots, and means tolift the rear end of the blank to permit a portionv multaneously operateupon the end portion of each of such blanks. Y

14;. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination with means forcreasing the blank, of means for trimming the blank adjacent saidcrease, and means to automatically shift the position of said trimming;

means during the operation of the creasing means. y

15. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination with areciprocating head, of a die associated therewith for creasing the boxblank, a. trimming knife adjacent said die, and means automaticallyoperable during the reciprocation of the said head to'- shift theposition of said knife.

16. In a machine for making box blanks,

the combination with a reciprocating head, of a die associated therewithfor creasing the box blank, two knives whose cutting edges are disposedat an angle to each other arranged at the extremity of said die, andmeans automatically operable during the reciprocation of said head toshift the positions of said knives. 1

17. In a machine for making box'blanks, the combination of areciprocating head, a die associated therewith for creasing the blank,two knives arranged at the end of said die and whose cutting edges aredisposed at an angle to each other, and means automatically operableduring the reciprocation of said head to simultaneously raise one of theknives and lower the other, for

the purpose described.

18. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination of areciprocating head having means to crease the box blank, two knivesmounted to reciprocate with said head and having their cutting edgesdisposed at an angle to each other, and means to automatically throw oneof the knives into operation and the other out of operation on eachstroke of said reciprocating head. y

19. In a machine for making boxV blanks, the combination of areciprocating head, two knives mounted to reciprocate with said head andwhose cutting edges are disposed iso 20. In a machine for making boxblanks, the combination of a reciprocating head, a die associated withsaid head for creasing the blank, two pairs of trimming knives mountedto reciprocate with the head, one pair being disposed at each end ofsaid die and the cutting edges of each pair being disposed at an angleto each other, and means .automatically operable during thereciprocation of said head to shift the corresilionding knife of eachpair to operative position and the other knife of each pair toinoperative position.

21. In a machine of the kind described, the combination of areciprocating head, a pair of trimming knives mounted at each ond ofsaid head to reciprocate therewith, the cutting edges of the knives ofeach pair being disposed at an angle to each other, and meansautomatically operable during the reciprocation of said head to shiftone knife of each pair to operative position and the other knife of eachpair to inoperative position.

22. In a machine of the kind described, 4a reciprocating head, aplurality of knives mounted to reciprocate with said head, an eccentricshaft also mounted to reciprocate with said head, connections betweensaid shaft and said knives whereby each knife may bc shifted tooperative and inoperative positions during reciprocation of the head,and means fer automatically actuating the eccentric shaftduring thereciprocation of the head.

23. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination with areciprocating` head for creasing the blank, of means for cutting theblank adjacent the crease, and means for shifting said last-named meansinto and out of operative position during the reciprocation of saidhead.

24. In a` machine for making box blanks, the combination of areciprocating head, two knives mounted in the head to reciprocatetherewith each having a cutting edge adapted to cut the blank at adifferent angle with respect to thc axis of the blank, and means for shifling either of said knives into operative position for cutting theblank and the other into inoperative position.

25. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination of areciprocating head, two knives mounted in the head to reciprocatetherewith each having a cutting edge adapted to cut the blank at adifferent angle with respect to the axis of the blanks. and means forautomatically shifting one of said knives into operative position forcutting the blank and the other into inoperative position duringreciprocation of the head.

26. In a. machine for making` box blanks, the combination of arecigrocating head, vertically movable knives mounted to reciprocatewith said head and having cutting edges disposed at an angle to eachother, an eccentric shaft mounted in said head, connections between eachof said knives and said eccentric shaft whereby said knives may beshifted in a vertical direction by actuation of said eccentric shaft,and means to actuate said eccentric shaft during reciprocation of saidhead.

27. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination of areciprocating head, vertically movable knives mounted to reciprocatewith said head, an eccentric shaft also mounted to reciprocate with saidhead, eccentrics associated with said shaft, connections between eacheccentric and one of the knives, and means to actuate said eccentricshaft during the reciprocation of the head, the eccentries being so setthat at least one of the knives will be lowered and at least one of theknives raised when the eccentric shaft is so actuated.

28. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination of operatingmechanism, means for feeding flap-equipped blanks through the machine,trip mechanism actuated by the blank for controlling the operating`mechanism, and means controlled by the flaps of the blank formaintaining the operating mechanism operative.

29. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination of creasingmeans, operating means therefor, means for feeding flapequipped blanksthrough the machine, and means controlled by the flaps of the blank formaintaining the operating means operative when the blank is in properposition to be acted upon by the creasing means and to render theoperating means inoperative when the blank is not in proper position tobe acted upon by the creasing means.

30. In a machine for makingbox blanks, the combination of operatingmechanism, means for feeding flap-equipped blanks through the machine,trip mechanism actuated by the blank for controlling the operatingmechanism, and means controlled by the flaps of the blank and operativeon .said tripping mechanism for maintaining the operating mechanismoperative in certain positions of said flaps.

31. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination of operating`mechanism, means for feeding flap-equipped blanks through the machine,trip mechanism actuated by the blank for controlling the operatingmechanism, and means controlled by the flaps of the blank for holdingthe trip mechanism in its tripped condition or for permitting thetripping mechanism to return to its normal condition. i

32. In a machine for making box blanks, the combination of creasingmeans, operating` means therefor, means for feeding flapequipped blanksthrough the machine, means to exert pressure on the flaps when incertain lIO ISO

